Painting Workshop: Abstract Still Life

Abstract still life painting workshop led by artist Paige Patterson Wilson held at AFSB Gallery.

Paige Patterson Wilson’s current exhibition at the AFSB, Abstract Trompe L’oeil, highlights her deep interest in the interplay of colored surfaces.

The artist will present a related workshop on Saturday, October 26 from 1 – 3 pm. Participants will experience her working process by creating their own box/collage still life and translating it into an abstract painting.

Please bring a small cardboard box. All other materials will be provided.

Meet other local artists and art enthusiasts in your community.

All levels welcome!

BUY TICKETS HERE

KDA Gallery Opening & Holiday Party

KDA Gallery Opening & Holiday Party!

The Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara is pleased to present you the annual Kids Draw Architecture Gallery Opening & Holiday Party on Saturday, November 24, 2019, from 2 – 4 PM.

This year KDA held their sketch sessions at the Alameda Park Bandstand and Santa Barbara Middle School.

The exhibition will feature a collection of drawings from KDA’s 2019 program showcasing a representative cross-section of illustrations from all age groups and drawing abilities and will be on display until January 4, 2020.

Events like this exemplify how the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara continues their mission of educating the public on the built environment. So please come join us to celebrate and congratulate our current calendar artists and support this vibrant educational program!

The Dark and Mysterious Past of the L.A Cecil Hotel

Check in at your own risk at 604 Main St.

More cursed than haunted, downtown L.A.’s Hotel Cecil (604 Main St) got such a bad rap that it actually changed its name to Stay on Main. So many bad things have happened here—there’s literally an entire Wikipedia page dedicated to its violent history. The first recorded death by suicide is in 1931, followed by a long string of similar deaths in 1932, 1934, 1937, 1938, 1939, and 1940.

At some point in the ’30s, one man was pinned to the exterior wall by a truck. A woman murdered her newborn in the building in 1944, and the pattern of suicides continued into the ’60s. In 1962, a woman jumped from the ninth floor window and landed on a pedestrian, killing them both. It’s worth noting that two of the women who died by suicide apparently jumped while their husbands were asleep in the room.

In 1964, tenant Goldie Osgood was brutally murdered, a crime which has remained unsolved. Next, in the ’80s, the infamous serial kill Richard Ramirez (the “Night Stalker”) stayed at the hotel and in the 1990s, Austrian serial killer Jack Unterwege lived there. Other weird things kept happening but the weirdest is definitely the disappearance and death of 21-year-old traveler Elisa Lam.

A few weeks after Lam went missing, her body was discovered in the rooftop water tank after visitors and tenants complained about a funky taste. They later found odd footage of her in the elevator from the night of her disappearance. It’s difficult to make out what she’s doing; it looks like she’s either playing hide-and-seek with someone outside the elevator, or she’s frightened and attempting to hide from someone but the doors won’t seem to shut. Authorities ruled the death accidental drowning—but because you need a key to access the roof, many suspect foul play.

The 1987 U2 performance, with the hotel featured as a backdrop, was filmed and commercially released as a music video for the release of the band’s song “Where the Streets Have No Name”.

The hotel is also known as the inspiration for the Coen Brothers 1991 film, Barton Fink.

It was also the inspiration for American Horror Story season 5, “Hotel”.

It was the setting for the The NoSleep Podcast season 3 episode, “The Cecil Hotel”.

The hotel can be seen in the background of Blink 182’s video “The Rock Show”.

We’ve checked it out, and all survived.

Opening Reception: Abstract Trompe L’oeil

Exhibition Dates: September 20 – November 14, 2019

Opening Reception with the Artist: Friday, September 20, 5-7 pm

Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara Gallery

The Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara is pleased to announce the opening of Abstract Trompe L’oeil, an exhibition of oil paintings by Paige Patterson Wilson.  An opening reception will be held at the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara on Friday, September 20, from 5:00-7 pm. All are welcome.

Abstract Trompe L’oeil highlights Wilson’s deep interest in the interplay of colored surfaces. Her previous paintings were conventional still life paintings depicting recognizable objects with reflective, transparent surfaces that appear as small abstractions. Creating these paintings led her to the idea of creating purely abstract still life paintings. At first glance, her new work appears to be flat, hard edge, geometric and abstract. Upon closer observation, viewers are drawn in by the illusion of depth.

To create these unusual paintings, Wilson first constructs an abstract “still life”—a three-dimensional composition of opaque, translucent, and transparent papers, and colored gels.  After arranging lighting above to create a kaleidoscope of reflections, she paints the “still life” from direct observation, challenging herself to create the illusion of three dimensions and transparency using only opaque pigments.

Although the paintings are formal compositions, they evoke futuristic cities, outer space, and science fiction settings. Surface flatness and the illusion of depth coexist simultaneously, creating spaces where the interplay and fusion of saturated colors, abstract shapes and imagination magically coexist.

Wilson received her BA in 1979 from San Francisco State University where she studied with Robert Bechtle, a photo-realist painter. She completed her MFA in 1982 at UCSB where she studied with Ciel Bergman and William Dole. She has maintained a studio and residence in Santa Barbara for 40 years and has participated in many group exhibitions and several solo exhibitions. She currently teaches art classes at SBCC School of Extended Learning.

A workshop to demonstrate the process of setting up an abstract still life and translating it to a painting will be held on Saturday, October 26, from 1-3 pm (Cost $30.00) at the AFSB Gallery. To purchase a ticket please visit the Architectural Foundation’s website.

Sponsor the 2020 Kids Draw Architecture Calendar!

KDA 2018 Collage

It's that time of year again!

Our 2020 Kids Draw Architecture calendars are being assembled, and we’re looking for sponsors for this project! 

What happens when you become a sponsor? 

Your name or logo will be included on the outside back cover of the
2020 Kids Draw Architecture Calendar!
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
We hope you will want to be a sponsor of the The 2020 Kids Draw Architecture Calendar! It is now in production and features delightful drawings by the children and architect participants from the sessions held at The Alameda Park Bandstand and  Santa Barbara Middle School at the old Jefferson Elementary School.  Please see the information below for sponsorship levels and more information about the Kids Draw Architecture Program.

Sponsor Levels:

How to Become a Sponsor:

Art Talk: A Look at Assemblage Art

Saturday, August 31, 2 – 3 PM

**FREE. Limited Space. First come, first served seating.**

The Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara is pleased to present a conversation on assemblage art, both past and present. Please save the date and join us in our gallery space for an art talk with Michael Long, Tony Askew and Nathan Vonk.

Michael Long currently has a show up at AFSB titled, “Hole in the Wall”, which focuses on assemblage art, will close September 12th, 2019. His show is made up of 21 assemblage works.

Michael states in his artist statement,

“This current body of work focuses on recreating pieces of recalled dreams by obsessively re-constructing a model of an intangible memory made in a specific, physical place. I recreate these recalled dreams of actual spaces from memory, down to every minute detail.”

Joining Michael in the conversation are Tony Askew and Nathan Vonk. Tony Askew is a local artist and professor emeritus from Westmont College. Nathan Vonk is the owner of Sullivan Goss, An American Gallery.

We are looking forward to seeing you on August 31st as we learn about assemblage art, join in the conversation with Michael, Tony, and Nathan, and enjoy Michael’s very own work on view!

KDA – Second Sketch Session of 2020!

Come take part in community learning!

Montecito Union School

Sunday, April 5, from 1 - 3 PM

Sessions are free and drawing materials are provided. Local architects and artists will be on hand to offer guidance. 

Kids Draw Architecture is a program developed by AFSB to enrich our community awareness of the built environment by encouraging children to sketch our architectural landmarks.

Kids Draw Architecture – First Sketch Session of 2020

Come take part in community learning!

Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History

Sunday, April 5, from 1 - 3 PM

Sessions are free and drawing materials are provided. Local architects and artists will be on hand to offer guidance.

Kids Draw Architecture is a program developed by AFSB to enrich our community awareness of the built environment by encouraging children to sketch our architectural landmarks.